“They are not Swedes to me” - Vincent van der Voort questions Kevin Doets potential World Cup switch as Dutch dilemma grows

Vincent van der Voort has questioned whether Kevin Doets should represent Sweden at the World Cup of Darts, even though he understands why the Dutchman may be tempted by the move.

Doets has enjoyed a major rise in 2026, but the Netherlands remains one of the hardest nations in darts to break into. With Michael van Gerwen, Gian van Veen, Wessel Nijman, Danny Noppert, Jermaine Wattimena and Dirk van Duijvenbode all part of a deep Dutch pool, a World Cup place is far from straightforward.

Speaking on the Darts Draait Door podcast, Van der Voort said the sporting logic is obvious. The principle, however, sits less comfortably with him.

“I understand it. You live there,” said Van der Voort. “But I just think that if you are Dutch, then you should play for the Netherlands.”

The debate around Doets has sharpened because he has lived in Sweden for some time and could potentially open a clearer route to international representation by switching allegiance.

Van der Voort did not dismiss that reality. In fact, he made clear that Doets faces a serious battle if he wants to earn a place for the Netherlands. “The competition is murderous every year in the Netherlands,” he said.

That is the core of the dilemma. Doets may be playing some of the best darts of his career, but the Netherlands is stacked with established major names and emerging contenders. For Van der Voort, that makes the attraction of Sweden easy to understand, even if he does not fully agree with it.

“To overtake all of them, that is pretty difficult,” he added. “So yes, if you really want to play that World Cup, then playing for Sweden is of course better.”

Van der Voort’s concern is not only about Doets. He also pointed to Jeffrey de Graaf, another Dutch-born player who represents Sweden, as part of a wider issue in international darts. “When I see Sweden playing with Jeffrey de Graaf and Kevin Doets, yes, to me, they are not Swedes,” said Van der Voort.

For the former UK Open finalist, the issue goes beyond paperwork or eligibility. He wants smaller darts nations to develop their own players rather than leaning on established names from stronger countries. “You want other countries to bring through their own talents,” he said. “That stagnates if more and more players start playing for another country.”

The discussion came during a wider conversation about the international balance of top-level darts. This year’s Premier League finals night features only British players in the semi-finals, underlining how heavily the biggest stages of the sport can still lean towards the UK. “Of course you would rather have a few more nationalities in there,” Van der Voort said. “But this year, it just wasn’t there.”

Despite the sport’s growth across Europe and beyond, Van der Voort believes darts is still shaped heavily by its English base, particularly when it comes to ranking events. “It is still quite English,” he said. “And it will probably stay that way.”

Van der Voort noted that many tournaments are now staged outside England, but stressed that a lot of those events are either Euro Tour or World Series tournaments rather than the ranking events that define careers. “A lot is played outside England,” he said. “But generally they are Euro Tours or World Series. And those are not ranking events.”

That is why he wants to see a wider spread of nationalities breaking through at the very top. For Doets, though, the problem is almost the opposite. He comes from a country with so much depth that even a major career surge may not be enough to secure the World Cup chance he wants.